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Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025

Does South Dakota have the highest fertility rate in the nation?

Michael Klinski, South Dakota News Watch
yes

South Dakota ranked No. 1 in the nation for fertility rates in 2023, with 65.6 live births per 1,000 women aged 15-44. Nebraska is second (65.2) followed  by Alaska (62.4). 

The United States recorded 54.5 births per 1,000 women aged 18-44 in 2023. Rates across the country have fallen since 2013, including in South Dakota. There were 78.1 births per 1,000 women that year in the state.

Then-South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem touted the state’s top ranking in 2024, saying that the birth rate shows that residents “want to raise a family.”.

Though the fertility rate is falling, South Dakota’s No. 1 ranking is a combination of family and religious values, the state’s prominent agriculture sector and a strong economy, experts say.  

South Dakota was 15th in infant mortality rates nationally, with 6.34 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023, according to the CDC.

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